I know the cannas on I-26 up the mountains, such as in front of the Welcome Center above Hendersonville, stay in the ground, and only get mulched. They seem to come back just fine. I don't know how EE's and walking iris compare in tenderness, but would think the EE's are about the same as cannas. I know my cannas do fine with a heavy mulch, as do the flowering gingers. On looking in the Southern Living Garden Book, it would appear the iris is more tender - so you might have to dig them. If you let them dry, brush off any soil, and store them in dampish sand or peat, I would think it would work. Having never done it though, I will certainly bow to superior knowledge!! If they are in pots, I would think you can just bring the pots into the garage, and not let them dry out to bone-dry. From what I can make out, the secret, if you will, of storing bulbs/tubers over the winter is keeping a happy medium between too wet and too dry - you don't want rot and you don't want shriveling up. I have a hard time doing that, so let things take their chances in the ground, with a lot of extra mulch.

Red Geraniums in Tin Cans I started my bright red geraniums from seed. Sprouted next to a wood stove in winter. I have them on the semi-shade patio in the summer but here in AZ, I bring them inside to bloom all winter in front of a huge SE facing window. This year broad mites attacked. I thought it was cultural, so repotted, fertilized. let dry out, watered more. By the time I realized MITES, the plant's leaves were twisted, discolored and the flower/tips were stunted. I dipped the plant, pot and all in 110 degree water for 15 minutes. I removed all flowers, bud and leaves. Bare Stalks! I put them outside on the patio and LO..new growth, bright green and even a flower stalk forming. I am going to remove that stalk to let the plant develop its roots and leaves but I am so pleased. Indestructible! I have plants that were more exotic and valuable but those geraniums, my favorite leafy pets!

When you get ready to replant them just cut the stem at an angle, rub the area with a rooting paste, stick it in water and then put it in a pot of soil or stick it in the ground. I started some from seed and left them in the ground all winter and got too many plants. Hurricane Ike damaged some very big ones in the front yard and I have been giving stems to anyone that passes by. Of course down here they grow fast. Yours should do well also.

Hey John, Thanks for that info and I think I may have read something similiar before. Aonther article I read on the internet was saying that storing cuttings in non tropical areas is diffrent than storing them in areas like zone 8 to the tropicas. I read that there dormancy time was less in those area. My friend Mimi in Hawaii had said that Plumeria are in bloom there constantly so there dormancy time there is considerably shorter than like my plumeria. I live in western NY officially zone 6 I believe. I always consider us to live in a micro climate zone 7 for parts of the year because Lake Erie is around 10 mintues away and for the most part it keeps us considerably warmer than the rest of the area. Even at that, my plumeria come indoors around mid to late September, but they will go out for the occasional warm weekend if I can get temps in the 60's for the day and even 50's at night. I know the fifties sound cold but my Dwarf Singapore Pink maintained both of it's two inflos. Both of my I.R. plumeria would also have kept them if I would have given them proper lighting. All my other plumeria are growing under a 600 watt HPS light. I initially let them go dormant for a couple weeks but according to the article, it stated that norther n growers should try to keep first year cuttings going to avoid root rot. All of my plumeria are continuing to grow. I only have my Dwarf singapore pink with the inflos but I also got a 'Penang Peach' that I bought a few weeks ago. It came with a new inflo and loaded with buds and actually right now it has bloomed. I had lost around 4 leaves but nothing else has dropped and even the second bud that opened up around the 3rd day I got it is even still there! Do you think that if they are first year cuttigns this is a good way to grow them? How long do yours go dormant? Andrew